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Analysis and the Use of Evidence

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Use of Evidence & Analysis: Dr Phil Davies presents on 1 Feb 2012
Dr Phil Davies presents on 1 Feb 2012
Analysis and the use of evidence is a key competency for civil servants through the Professional Skills for Government Framework, and it’s increasingly being recognised as important across all sectors. Tightened budgets call for robust decision-making and policy judgements need to be based on sound evidence more than ever.

1 February Training Event

Building on previous Observatory events, including last year’s Annual Conference, a one-day masterclass held on 1 February focused on the use of analysis and evidence in policy and decision making. Facilitated by Dr Phil Davies, Director at Oxford Evidentia – a research company specialising in making evidence accessible – and former Deputy Director of the Government’s Social Research Unit, the course looked at how individuals might use different types of evidence in their work, what constitutes high quality evidence and what are the best ways promote its use in policy.

With a number of interesting observations and comments from his time in government, Dr Davies explored how evidence and policy interact. He proposed a ‘circle of evidence’ to demonstrate a flow of actions researchers should be aware of to make evidence effective and efficient. Those working to inform policy, he suggested, needed to help address what is already known about an issue, what has been shown to work elsewhere and how that might be refined to work in a local area, the costs and benefits of a policy; and what, if any, are its ethical implications?

On what makes ‘good’ evidence, delegates were briefed on issues of sample size and selection bias, the quality of reporting as well as the relevance of evidence to the real world. On practical ways of getting evidence into policy and practice, five useful tips were presented. These included developing interpersonal networks and actively participating in the policy-making process; balancing the need to present findings with a way that is quick and accessible to read; separating strategic and operational work; and building into policy a simple monitoring system.

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Use of Evidence - Training
You can now download presentations from Phil Davies given on the day. In due course a short briefing note containing some of the main advice and tips from the day will be made available on this page.
Programme
9.45 - 10.00 Welcome and Introduction

10.00 - 10.15 Presentation: Professional Skills for Government

10.15 - 10.30 Exercise:Which PSG skills and competencies are most relevant to your work? Which analysts do you work with (and why)?

10.30 - 11.00 Exercise: What do you understand by ‘evidence’ and ‘analysis’?

11.00 - 11.15 Refreshment break

11.15 - 12.00 Presentation: Types of Evidence and Analysis

12.00 - 12.30 Exercise: How might you use these different types of evidence and analysis in your work?

12.30 - 1.00 Presentation: Different Notions of Evidence

1.00 - 1.45 Lunch

1.45 - 2.00 Exercise: What constitutes high quality evidence?

2.00 - 2.30 Presentation: Criteria for Assessing High Quality Evidence

2.30 - 2.45 Exercise: Where do you go for sound evidence?

2.45 - 3.00 Presentation: Some Sources of Sound Evidence

3.00 - 3.15 Refreshment break

3.15 - 3.45 Presentation: Research Synthesis: Using What We Already Know

3.45 - 4.15 Presentation: Getting Evidence Into Policy and Practice

4.15 - 4.30 Discussion: Is any of this evidence and analysis useful for you?

4.30 - Close
Presenter:

Dr Philip Davies is currently the Executive Director of Oxford Evidentia, a research consultancy company that specializes in public policy analysis, monitoring and evaluation, and knowledge transfer. Previously, Dr Davies was a Senior Research Fellow at the American Institutes for Research in Washington DC. He was also a senior civil servant in the UK Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, and Deputy Director of the Government Social Research Unit. Before joining the Cabinet Office Dr Davies was a University Lecturer in Social and Political Science at the University of Oxford, and he has held academic positions at the University of Aberdeen and the University of California, San Diego.
Analysis and the Use of Evidence
Download the Event Programme